We made it

           Back on the Ark, the control room was in chaos. Questions and concerns fired from every direction, overlapping in a deafening storm of voices. Screens flickered with error messages, systems failed to respond, and engineers scrambled to make sense of the disaster unfolding in real time.

            In the center of it all, Sinclair stood frozen, his fingers clenched around the edges of his tablet. His face was rigid, his breath coming in shallow bursts as he stared at the telemetry results. The drop ship had landed. But beyond that? Nothing. No communications. No link to the onboard computers. Just silence.

            The weight of not knowing pressed down on him like a vice, his mind looping back to a single, suffocating thought- If I hadn't sent her to fix the connection, she wouldn't be down there. If I hadn't sent her, she would be safe.

            "Chief Sinclair."

            The authoritative voice sliced through the noise. Sinclair barely managed to tear his eyes away from his tablet as Marcus Kane strode into the room, his sharp gaze scanning the control center before landing on him.

            "What's the report," Kane demanded.

            Sinclair swallowed hard and straightened, though the tremor in his voice betrayed his composed stance. "Total system failure," he admitted, the words like acid on his tongue. "That's what we're looking at. All we know is that they were off course when we lost contact, so..."

            Kane's expression remained unreadable. "Tell me about communications."

            Sinclair exhaled sharply, forcing himself to focus on facts, but his voice quickened, laced with the panic he was barely holding back. "Other than the telemetry from their wristbands, we've got nothing. No audio, no video, no computer link." He shook his head, frustration mounting. "Everything Ronnie and I programmed to help them- help us- gone. They're on their own."

            His voice faltered. His daughter was on her own.

            For the first time in years, real fear settled into his bones, gripping him with a force he couldn't shove aside. He was an engineer, a problem solver, but this- this was a problem he couldn't fix. Ronnie was out there, somewhere on Earth. Alive? Hurt? Dead? The uncertainty gnawed at him, and for the first time in his life, he cursed his own brilliance. If only he hadn't sent her in. If only the ship had launched as scheduled. If only he could hear her voice one more time.

            But all he had was silence.

            And silence had never been so damn loud.

~*~

            A dull ache spread through Ronnie's body before she even opened her eyes. Her head throbbed in time with her pulse, and her limbs felt like lead. The cold metal floor beneath her was familiar, but for a brief, terrifying moment, she wondered if she was still floating, still weightless in space.

            Her eyelids fluttered open to a dim, flickering light. I'm in a different spot than before... The realization came slowly as she lay there, her mind catching up with her body. The last thing she remembered was the deafening roar, the violent shaking- then nothing.

            She rolled onto her back, wincing as a sharp pain shot through her wrist. "Damn," she hissed, pulling the injured limb to her chest. A fresh bloom of pain pulsed beneath her skin, and when she pushed up her sleeve, her worst fears were confirmed- swollen, bruised, definitely not great. Ronnie barely had time to process before a voice cut through the silence.

            "Sleeping Beauty is finally awake."

            The rough, teasing tone made her jerk her head toward the source. A figure stood silhouetted in the doorway of the drop ship, arms crossed, a familiar smirk playing at his lips.

            Bellamy.

            Ronnie exhaled, a relieved but breathless chuckle escaping her. "It's Ronnie," she corrected, pushing herself up gingerly. "And I'm no princess."

            Bellamy's smirk deepened. "Could've fooled me."

            Ronnie exhaled, hating how easily this guy could get under her skin. Twice in one day? Really? She shook her head, trying to compose herself. "Why are you down here?" she asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

            Instead of answering, he stepped forward, holding something up between two fingers. "Found this in our one and only med kit," he stated. "Figured you might need it."

            Ronnie blinked in surprise as he held up the small roll of bandage wrap for her to see. She hesitated before extending her arm, and Bellamy took it without a word, beginning to wrap her wrist with careful precision.

            "You moved me," she realized aloud, glancing around. The ship was empty now. The others were gone.

            Bellamy nodded, focused on his work. "Didn't want you getting trampled."

            Her chest tightened at the unexpected kindness. His fingers were warm against her skin, firm but not rough as he secured the wrap around her wrist. She dared a glance up at him, only to find his gaze locked on her, amused.

            "You're not supposed to be down here," he muttered, almost like he was talking more to himself than to her.

            "No, I'm not," she admitted. Then, tilting her head, she narrowed her eyes at him. "And neither are you."

            His movements stiffened. Just slightly.

            Ronnie caught it instantly.

            "There was never any talk about a guard being sent down with the 100." She let the words hang in the air, waiting to see if he'd take the bait.

            Bellamy's smirk faltered for just a fraction of a second.

            "You don't want to know what I did," he finally said, the teasing edge gone from his voice. He tied off the bandage and stepped back before she could press him further.

            Ronnie's lips parted to respond, but he was already turning away.

            "Hey, wait!" she called, hurrying after him.

            She reached out instinctively, her fingers brushing against his shoulder. Bellamy stopped. Slowly, he turned to face her, something unreadable flickering in his dark eyes.

            Ronnie hesitated, then lifted her wrist. "Thanks," she said simply.

            For the first time since she'd met him, he looked... almost caught off guard. His lips parted like he wanted to say something, but instead, he just gave a curt nod before turning and walking away.

            Ronnie exhaled, finally taking in her surroundings and that's when it hit her.

            She was on Earth.

            Her breath caught as she turned in a slow circle, her heart pounding- not from fear, but from awe. The sky stretched endlessly above her, a brilliant, unbroken blue, scattered with soft, drifting clouds. Trees- actual trees- stood tall in every direction, their leaves rustling in a breeze she felt against her skin. The scent of damp earth and greenery filled her lungs as she breathed in deeply, savoring every second.

            A laugh bubbled up from her chest, uncontainable.

            "I made it," she whispered, her voice full of wonder.

            Then softer, "I wish you could see it, Dad."

            A memory surfaced, warm and bittersweet.

            "What do you think it's like?" Ten-year-old Ronnie sat curled up in bed, her gaze locked on the glowing blue planet outside her window. Beside her, Sinclair adjusted his position, wrapping an arm around her small frame.

            He followed her gaze, his eyes soft. "I'd like to believe it's full of life again," he murmured. "Bright green fields, fresh air... maybe even animals, just like the Earth textbooks." His smile turned wistful. "Your great-grandmother always talked about how beautiful it was. The way she described it, it felt like a dream."

            Ronnie looked up at him, catching the joy in his expression.

            "Maybe one day we'll go back," he mused. "Maybe one day, we'll see it for ourselves."

            A sleepy smile tugged at Ronnie's lips. She leaned her head against his chest, warm and safe.

            "Yeah," she whispered. "Maybe we will."

            Ronnie blinked up at the sky, her heart swelling.

            "Guess you were right, Dad," she murmured. "We made it."

            And for the first time since the drop ship had launched, she allowed herself to believe that maybe, just maybe, everything was going to be okay.